1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a strobe device in which an essential part is formed by affixing a flash discharge tube and various electronic elements to a substrate material. In particular, the present invention relates to a strobe device suitably internalized in a single-use camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
A strobe device has circumstances where inadequate luminance is provided around an object to be photographed, e.g., at night time or indoors. Strobe devices are frequently found in the form of an accessory or internalized in cameras, as is well-known to those skilled in the art.
Among internalized strobe devices, those which are internalized in single-use cameras typically include: a printed circuit board having a known conductive pattern formed thereon so as to define a predetermined electric circuit, on which a flash discharge tube, a reflector, an optical panel, switch contacts, battery contacts, and various electronic elements are affixed via known attachment means such as screws or soldering.
Specifically, the flash discharge tube and the reflector are incorporated into the optical panel, for example, so that the optical panel having the reflector, and the like, incorporated therein is affixed as an optical member to the printed circuit board via known attachment means such as screws. At this time, the electrodes of tie flash discharge tube are electrically coupled, via soldering, to connection terminals that are affixed on the printed circuit board, for example.
The terminals of various electronic elements requiring electrical connection are electrically and/or mechanically coupled to the printed circuit board by being soldered to copper land portions formed in predetermined portions of the conductive pattern on the printed circuit board.
Thus, a conventional strobe device internalized in a single-use camera includes a substrate defined by a printed circuit board having a conductive pattern thereon (which is usually composed of a copper foil), so that optical members (e.g., an optical panel) and various electronic elements are electrically and/or mechanically coupled to the substrate via known attachment means.
As a result, conventional strobe devices require a step of incorporating and soldering individual elements to the printed circuit board, thereby impeding the production efficiency.